Oil or colloidal containing gasified coffee product and process

ABSTRACT

A gasified coffee glass is disclosed which is prepared by forming a mixture containing 3% to 12% water and about 88 to 97% total coffee derived solids and 0.1 to 10% coffee oil, or equivalent, heating the mixture, injecting a gas into the mixture and mixing to form a uniform mixture, forcing the mixture through an orifice, and cooling the mixture to form a gasified, oil containing, coffee glass resembling freeze dried or roasted and ground appearing soluble coffee which dissolves in a manner similar to coffee prepared by freeze drying.

This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending application Ser. No. 07/510,312 filed Apr. 16, 1990, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 07/231,807, filed Aug. 12, 1988, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

This invention relates to vegetable extracts, more specifically extracts of coffee and processes for producing such products. Coffee extract in the form of a high solids melt is mixed with oil, colloidal ground coffee or other edible cellulosic material to form a discontinuous phase in the final coffee which improves solubility. The melt is gasified, forced through an orifice and cooled to form a controlled light density coffee glass which when granulated and sized has the appearance of roasted and ground coffee, freeze-dried coffee or other useful appearances depending on the degree of gasification. The melt may be aromatized prior to formation of the desired shape and the aroma may in whole or part be contained in the added coffee oil or matrix solubilizing material. The product exiting the die may be stretched to cool and control its final form. An object of this invention is to provide economical processes for shaping and preparing shelf-stable coffee products which have not suffered from heat damage and yet may be quickly reconstituted in hot water to yield coffee of excellent flavor and aroma. The process is particularly suitable for producing aromatized gasified coffee of controlled density and color which can be sized and dried to a stable condition without need for extensive freeze or spray drying. Such gasified soluble coffee glass can then be further treated, as by agglomeration, to form novel appearing products.

The invention is particularly useful to produce products of flavor, solubility and appearance equal to freeze-dried coffee without the need to freeze dry.

2. Prior Art

The present invention is concerned with the manufacture of vegetable extracts and, particularly, instant coffee. The manufacture of instant coffee involves extracting roasted and ground coffee beans with water under conditions of high temperature and pressure to form extracts which are dried with or without aromas added by known means, such as spray drying, freeze drying or the like.

In an early effort to avoid drying of such coffee extracts by Eskew, U.S. Pat. No. 2,989,717, issued Mar. 22, 1960, a fifty-fifty mixture of concentrated coffee extract and an invert sugar solution were concentrated in a thin film evaporator to form a product having four percent or less water which was pumped out of the evaporator and formed on chilling rolls into small flakes which were easily broken into a coarse product before packaging. In this process, the product temperatures exiting the evaporator ranged from 220° F. to 290° F. and the products produced had moisture contents of about 1 to 4% and were hygroscopic by reason of the addition of large amounts of invert sugars. This type of processing was also applied by Turkot, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,908,630, issued Sept. 29, 1959. While the process of Eskew and Turkot, et al. produced coffee products without the need to spray dry, a filler was employed which is not suitable in today's market. Furthermore, special packaging would be required to reduce the chance of moisture contamination which would be disastrous because of the hygroscopicity of the coffee product produced.

In another attempt, Earle Jr., et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,419,399 patented Dec. 31, 1968, prepared soluble coffee doughs having a moisture content of 9.5 to 12.5% at a temperature below 140° F. and then dried the dough to 1-4%. This material was very sticky and difficult to process.

Another attempt to produce dehydrated vegetable extracts is disclosed by Risler, et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,154,864, issued May 15, 1979. Risler, et. al. formed a paste or powder which is extruded into a subatmospheric pressure chamber to puff the coffee product. For example, freeze-dried instant coffee powder, having a moisture content of 2.5%, is extruded into a chamber at 80 mb and cut to form grains about the size of a pea which dissolve in cold water. When compared to these grains extruded into atmospheric pressure in Example 5 of that patent, the products with cellular internal structure are far more soluble.

In U.S. Pat. No. 3,625,704 to Andre, et al., issued Dec. 7, 1971, dense flakes of instant coffee are prepared and aromatized from roll-milled instant coffee.

In the field of flavor fixation, particularly of essential oils, a number of patents have issued which deal with forming a carbohydrate glass to protect the flavor. The U.S. Pat. No. 3,041,180, issued to Swisher, discloses a method for fixing flavorants in an extruded carbohydrate substrate. The product of the Swisher invention is obtained by emulsifying an essentially water-insoluble essential oil with a molten mixture of glycerol and corn syrup solids as the continuous phase, extruding the emulsified mass in the form of filaments into a cold fluid, preferably an organic solvent for the essential oil which is a nonsolvent for the corn syrup solids; followed by impact breaking of the solidified filaments into small particles of usable form and then holding the particles in the solvent, preferably for an extended period, to remove essential oil from the surfaces of the particles together with a substantial portion of the residual moisture contained on and in the particles. This methodology is conducted in excess of 130° C.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,704,137 to Beck discloses a method for preparing an essential oil composition. His method involves the cooking of an aqueous solution of sucrose and hydrolyzed cereal solids until it is at a boiling point of about 122° C., and the water level reaches a desired minimum. At this point the heating is stopped, the mixture is agitated, and an emulsifier is added. The emulsifier is necessary in order for a homogeneous solution to form. While the solution is cooling, the essential oil and an antioxidant are added, and are intimately mixed. The final mix is forced through an extruder under air pressure. At this point, about 0.5% by weight of the final composition of an anticaking agent is added to prevent the particles from sticking.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,039 to Shoaf, et al. discloses a process for the encapsulation of "Aspartame" in any number of matrix forming materials. The product is formed by creating a hot melt which, upon cooling, is capable of forming a relatively amorphous matrix within which the sweetener is discretely dispersed.

EPO published patent application 0158460 to Pickup, et al., teaches a method for fixing volatile flavorants in a food-approved substrate, and, more particularly, to a low-temperature methodology for fixing volatile flavorants in an extruded "carbohydrate-glass" substrate. Volatiles or essential oils are dry blended with 10-30% low molecular weight carbohydrate food acid or the like and at least 70% of a high molecular weight polymeric carbohydrate which contains at least 95% material above 1000 molecular weight. The dry mixture is extruded to form on cooling a hard glass-like substance.

While these methods have enabled workers in the art to produce useful food products, they have not provided a means for producing aromatized coffee glass which is prepared from 100% coffee derived material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It has been discovered that a stable instant coffee product can be prepared from a process which involves obtaining a mixture containing 3% to 12% water, preferably above 4% to 9% water, and about 88 to 97%, preferably 91% to about 96% total coffee derived solids by either concentrating conventionally extracted coffee or by reconstituting instant coffee products either spray dried, freeze dried or otherwise with water. Preferably, substantially all the final products are prepared from concentrated extract, thus avoiding the need to spray dry or freeze dry the extract. In some cases dry coffee solids are added to the concentrated extract to raise the solids content to the range required for this invention. We have found this procedure retains more coffee flavor and volatiles. The coffee mixture obtained has a glass transition temperature of between 30° C. to 80° C. The mixture is heated to from 60° C. to 130° C., preferably 70° C. to 110° C., more preferably 80° C.- 100° C., and gasified in a confined area with air, carbon dioxide or nitrogen or other suitable gaseous compounds or mixtures thereof.

Edible oil, particularly coffee oil, colloidal coffee, which contains coffee oil, or other water insoluble solids which form a discontinuous phase which improves solubilization of the final dry material (such as coffee containing oil or other fatty or emulsifying materials or colloidal coffee or other cellulosic material) is incorporated in the matrix either prior to, during or after gasification so that when the expanded dried material is dissolved in hot water by the consumer, the rate of dissolving of the solid is improved.

The mixture is then forced through a suitable orifice or shaping device under pressure to form it, cooled to protect flavor and aroma and then dried, if necessary, to a stable temperature below 6% water.

The mixture can optionally contain hydrolyzed mannan oligomers having a DP from 1 to 8 and, further, can contain cellulosic sugars derived from cellulosic coffee materials. When reconstituting powder, it is advisable to form as uniform and homogeneous a mix as possible and, when either employing concentrates or reconstituted powder, it is preferred to adjust the moisture content between above 4% to about 9% so that when the final formed product is cooled there is obtained a gasified coffee glass or foamed super-cool liquid.

The products are formed by preparing the mixture of coffee solids having above 4% to 9% water, heating the mixture to 60° C. to 130° C., more preferably 70° C. to 110° C. (most preferably 80° C. to 100° C.), injecting gas into the mixture to adjust density and forcing the mixture through a restricted area to shape it, cooling the mixture to a brittle condition and thereafter drying the mixture to a stable moisture content of 6% water of less. In a preferred embodiment, the hot material leaving the restricted area after being shaped is stretched to increase its surface to mass ratio which allows rapid cooling to a brittle foamed coffee glass. This glass is then suitably reduced in size and dried to a stable moisture content of below 6% water.

Forming a gasified mixture helps improve final product solubility and lower the final density of the product. Such gasified mixtures are still capable of stretching on leaving the forming device although the degree of stretching is reduced. The material may also be aromatized under pressure prior to forming the cooled glass. Any of the gasified glasses can be combined to form novel coffee products.

The coffee oil or colloidal material further improves the rate of solubility (decreases the time necessary to dissolve) of the expanded foamed material. The invention is perceived by consumers to give a rate of solubility of less than 8 seconds for 95% dissolution which is comparable to the rate of solubility of freeze dried coffee.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a graph representing the time required for a dry coffee sample to become 95% dissolved in 180° F. water.

FIG. 2 is a flow sheet describing the process of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To describe the process in more detail, spray dried coffee 1, water or other aqueous medium 2, insoluble material, preferably coffee oil 3 and a metered quantity of inert gas, preferably carbon dioxide 4, is added to a twin screw extruder 5. The material is mixed and heated and forced through a die 6 as an expanded material onto a cooling belt 7 where it is immediately sprayed with liquid nitrogen 10 to cool the material to about 100° F. The cooled material is next equilibrated to room temperature while preventing moisture condensation or addition on a tempering belt 8, using cool dry air 9. The cool material 11 is next granulated using rolls 12 and screened to recover a fraction resembling freeze-dried coffee 13. Oversized particles 14 are reground and fines 15 recycled to the extruder. The coffee 13 is dried 14 and recovered as dry soluble coffee 15 having a freeze-dried appearance.

In accordance with the present invention, a coffee glass product is prepared by forming a mixture of 88% to 97% solids, preferably from 91% to below 96%, and 3 to 12% water, preferably above 4% to 9%, at a temperature of from 60° to 130° C. Insoluble material is added to the mixture to form a discontinuous phase in the final soluble product. Coffee oil from 0.4 to 1% is the preferred insoluble material. The mixture is then injected with gas, preferably inert gas, in a confined area; aromatized, if desired, and the oil containing gasified material forced through a restricted area or die at pressures of up to 2500 pounds per square inch. The mixture is then rapidly cooled by liquid nitrogen, cold air or by pulling the gasified melt by means of a traveling belt or roller to reduce the thickness of the shape produced and to allow rapid cooling whereupon the cooled material or glass is suitably reduced in size and dried to a stable moisture content. This glass may then be combined with other coffees.

The coffee mixture can be prepared from coffee extract obtained by normal percolation by subjecting the extract to falling film evaporators or other suitable devices, to obtain a solids content of at least 88% and, more preferably, 91% or more. The solids content is adjusted to form a mixture which will form a super-cooled gasified coffee glass upon cooling. The coffee mixture can also be obtained by mixing dried coffee solids, spray dried, freeze dried or otherwise, with sufficient water to produce a moisture content up to 12%, more preferably, between above 4% and 9%.

Coffee oil, colloidal coffee or other insoluble material is added to the coffee solids and water mixture to form a discontinuous phase in the final melt matrix which improves significantly and unexpectantly the rate of solubility of the matrix in hot water. The addition of coffee oil or oil-containing material to the gasified matrix improves the rate of solubility so that 95% or more of the coffee solids dissolve in 180° F. hot water in less than eight seconds which is similar to the dissolution rate of freeze-dried coffee. While some particles of the gasified product of this invention initially float to the surface, they immediately dissolve when stirred giving an overall dissolution rate much closer to freeze-dried coffee than the gasified product made without oil. While some consumers notice the difference during dissolution, it does not adversely affect their preference.

With sufficient mixing there is produced a homogeneous material which is similar to that obtained by concentration of coffee extract. The coffee mixture can also be prepared by adding a small amount of dry soluble coffee to concentrated coffee extract. In all cases the coffee solids obtained should have a glass transition temperature of between 30° C. to about 80° C.

By glass transition temperature, we mean the liquification upon heating through this region of a material in a glassy state to one in the fluid state. The transformation is indicated by a change in a second order thermodynamic quantity, such as the expansion coefficient or heat capacity. The change is due to the onset of extensive molecular motion which occurs in the transformation from a glass to a liquid. The change can be characterized by a glass transition temperature or Tg. Measurements of the dimensional stability of a material over a range of temperatures can be used to derive the Tg. A penetration thermogram as generated by the Thermomechanical Analyzer (manufactured by Perkin-Elmer) is used as the source of dimensional data. As described in the Applications Section of the Instruction Manual (Model TMS-2, publication #993-9246), Tg is identified as the temperature at which the first evidence of displacement of the penetration thermogram occurs from the pre-transition baseline.

This instant process, in addition to working well with conventionally extracted roasted and ground coffee extracts, can also be applied to those extracts which are obtained from coffee by heat, enzymatic, acid or base hydrolysis. For example, a portion of the coffee solids, may be derived from hydrolyzed mannan which forms oligomers having a DP anywhere from 1 to 8. These materials are generally obtained by high pressure, short time, high temperature treatment of wetted residual coffee grounds which cause the mannan to be hydrolyzed to relatively high molecular weight oligomers, having DP's up to 8. The coffee can also contain cellulosic sugars derived from the cellulosic components of coffee which are produced by the acid or base hydrolysis of such coffee solids. In any case, the addition of mannan oligomers and cellulosic derived coffee sugars does not produce such a reduction in glass transition temperature, which would result in a failure to produce a coffee glass of acceptable hygroscopicity.

The dry soluble coffee or concentrated extract used in this invention has a composition dry basis as follows:

    ______________________________________                                                        %     Preferred %                                               ______________________________________                                         Total Carbohydrates                                                                             15-50   30-40                                                 Reducing Sugars   5-20    5-15                                                 included in total                                                              carbohydrates                                                                  Protein           5-15    6-10                                                 Alkaloids        0-6     2-6                                                   Chlorogenic Acid  2-35    5-15                                                 Other Acids       2-12   4-8                                                   Ash               2-16   5-9                                                   Coffee Oil       0.2-2   0.4-1                                                 ______________________________________                                    

Once the coffee mixture is prepared, it may be gasified by injecting into the mixture and uniformly blending various gases, such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide air or others, which will cause a reduction in the density of the coffee mixture and allow flexibility and control of the final coffee product density. Injection is accomplished by forcing the gas by pump or by regulating the pressure differences into the pressurized extruder chamber to control the flow rate of the gas prior to intricate mixing with the coffee melt. Gasification can also be accomplished by directly incorporating food grade foaming agents, such as ammonia bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, calcium carbonate and the like up to 5%, preferably 0.5 to 2%, foaming agent is employed per dry weight of soluble coffee powder. Mixtures of gas and foaming agent may be exployed if desired to attain specific physical attributes. Such gasification also helps in producing improved coffee solubility and has an effect on lightening the color of the product, both useful when designing new forms of coffee products. Finally, use of inert gas protects any aromas added to the mixtures.

When preparing products having the appearance of freeze-dried soluble coffee, sufficient gas is added to the melt to give a final ground dry powder having a particle size of -8+24 U.S. screen, having a color of 20°-36° L. and density of 0.18 to 0.30 g/cc. Less gas is used to form a roasted and ground appearance than the product having a color of 15°-26° L. and 0.25-0.50 g/cc when ground and dried to a moisture below 6%.

In addition, aromas can be added, either with the gasification step, such as injecting the aromas into the mixture and then homogeneously blending the mixture. It is preferred to add the aromas and blend, either in the die or close thereto, to reduce thermal degradation of the aroma.

Aroma may be incorporated in the water or extract used as feed to the extruder to adjust the moisture content of the coffee mixtures prior to shaping.

From 0.1 to 5%, preferably 0.2 to 2% and most preferably 0.4 to 1% coffee oil; or from 0.5 to 20% colloidal coffee, preferably 1 to 10% and most preferably 2-5%, is added on a dry weight basis to the coffee matrix and uniformly mixed into the matrix. This insoluble material forms a discontinuous phase with the soluble coffee solids in the dry final product and reduces the time of solubility. For example, FIG. 1 illustrates the solubility of a expanded dried coffee melt containing 0.4% oil on a solids basis compared to a similar product having no oil and a leading commercial freeze-dried coffee. We have found that samples that disolve in less than 8 seconds such as freeze-dried coffee or the product of this invention are acceptable to consumers.

The coffee mixture in a soft, homogeneous gasified hot confined state is then forced through an orifice or series of orifices so as to shape it. On exiting the orifices, the gasified melt expands at atmospheric conditions and the coffee is then quickly cooled and solidified. The volume of gas material or chemical introduced into the melt is controlled to produce the density desired once the melt is expanded, cooled and solidified. In a preferred embodiment of our invention, we preferred to form relatively thin strips of the coffee material by forcing the mixture through slits or other carefully designed orifices which produce a uniform strip of the material. This strip expands on exiting the orifice. The material is then directed to a belt which picks up the strip and may stretch it by traveling at a rate higher than the strip exiting from the extruder. The moving belt stretching the strip is a convenient way to further regulate the thickness of the coffee strip and to ensure rapid cooling of that strip.

The rate of dissolution of final dry products is determined in the following manner:

Preheat 300 mls of water to 180° F. and add the water to the 600 ml beaker acting as a conductivity cell. If needed, add heat to the beaker to obtain the 180° F. temperature. Remove the thermometer when temperature is obtained.

Begin stirring the water from the back side of the beaker in a back and forth motion and add 3 grams of previously weighed out sample and continue stirring.

Once the coffee has visually dissolved and the voltage readings level off, discontinue readings. Rinse off the probes and clean out the beaker.

The conductivity cell is formed to measure the exact rate of dissolution. Two bare electrodes are spaced on opposite sides of the beaker at equal heights, about half the liquid height from the bottom of the beaker. In this position, the whole beaker becomes the cell, as the electrodes measure the conductivity of virtually the entire solution instantly. There is, therefore, no delay or interference in response, and quickly-dissolving samples may accurately be measured.

Conductivity readings from the cell are taken by a Beckman SM-5 solu-meter every half second. This conductivity reading is collected as an analog signal which is converted to digital signal using Analog Connection Jr. software and transmitted with the corresponding time to a Compac Deskpro computer for storage. The data is stored in file names specified by the operator.

The data points representing the amount of dissolution are recorded on hard disc at a rate of two readings per second as the sample dissolves. The data points, which were stored in an ASCII file, are then imported into Lotus where they are zeroed, normalized, and plotted on a color-coded x-y plot of percent dissolution vs. time. Precision of this method is in the range of ±1 second for end-point determination of dissolution to 95% of the solid.

In another preferred embodiment, we extrude ropes of the expanded coffee and immediately cool with liquid gas or a cold tunnel to solidify the gasified coffee and trap aroma.

The strip or other gasified coffee glass produced is homogeneous, opaque, brown in color and consists substantially of coffee in a homogeneous, super-cooled liquid or glass condition. The cooled gasified product can then be broken into the desired size and further dried to stabilize the product for storage. The gasified product can be sized to resemble other coffee products. The brown color is much closer to the color of dry soluble coffee than is ungasified coffee glass and, in fact, can be made into products that closely resemble products on the market today. In general, the products exiting the die may have moisture contents above 6% and must be dried to stable moisture contents below 6%, preferably below 5%.

The properties of the final coffee glass are easily changed by regulating the amount of inert gas incorporated into the melt prior to forming it. Either a metering pump or a regulated pressure differential is used to force a controlled volume of gas into the hot melt. The resulting cooled gasified coffee glass has a freeze-dried or roasted and ground color depending on the amount of gas, preferably carbon dioxide, incorporated in the melt.

For gasified ropes or thick slabs, stretching is not used since rapid cooling by cooling tunnel or other means is used to set the form leaving the extruder and maintaining the expanded structure.

This process is very useful for aromatizing and gasifying the coffee glass by allowing incorporation of the aroma and gas just prior to extrusion and then effecting very rapid cooling as the extrudate leaves the die.

The gasified coffee glass is particularly valuable for protecting and stabilizing natural and synthetic aromas which may be added to the coffee. Apparently, the high solids content of the gasified molten liquid phase under pressure allows rapid formation of a homogeneous aromatized mixture which can be immediately shaped and cooled to affect a transition from coffee melt to coffee glass with less than 50% loss of volatiles, more preferably 70%, and most preferably less than 80%, loss of volatiles, while minimizing flavor degradation of the coffee. The inert gas incorporated in the aromatized melt further protects the aroma and flavor while providing density control and improved solubility for the product.

Thin flakes of coffee glass can be prepared in a manner taught in the copending patent application Ser. No. 231,811, filed Aug. 12, 1988, abandoned in favor of; Ser. No. 247,982, filed Sept. 22, 1988, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,962, issued Apr. 24, 1990, herein incorporated by reference. These flakes can be mixed with the foamed glass of this invention and agglomerated to produce novel products.

EXAMPLE 1

Two granulated extruded rope products were made from spray-dried powder on Werner Pfleiderer ZSK 57 mm twin-screw extruder. The variants were a freeze-dried look-alike and a roasted and ground look-alike.

FREEZE DRIED LOOK-ALIKE

Carbon dioxide gas was injected into the extruder barrel to control density, color, and solubility. The key control variables in this operation were moisture, temperature, gas to coffee ratio, and the degree of mixing. The extruder screw profile chosen was one which provided a good deal of mixing while it also maintained at a relatively low temperature profile (See extruder condition). The moisture target of 7.0% was selected in view of the fact that spray-dried coffee contains no hydrolyzate solids. This moisture level, along with the controlled temperature profile, yielded a melt with the right viscosity for dispersing the CO₂ gas and for good expansion at the die. The product exits with minimal shrinkage and collapses during cooling. Thus, a very porously-structured rope was formed which could be ground into a freeze-dried look-alike form having a low density and a good degree of solubility.

The die was a 45° , variable-face, strand die with two 3/16" diameter holes. As the rope strands exited the die, they expanded to about 5/8" diameter and were drawn away at a speed equivalent to the die exit speed on a wire mesh conveying belt. (It is interesting to note that upon leaving the die, the ropes lost about 1% moisture.) While on the belt, they were cooled with a spray of liquid nitrogen. At the end of the belt, the ropes were laid out on a stainless steel table for further cooling (5 to 10 minutes) before being broken up into 2 to 6 inch pieces and bagged. They were ground in the Urschel Model N grinder (4 passes), sized in the 18" Sweco (-8+24 US screens), and dried in the Jeffrey fluid-bed afterdryer (one pass).

    ______________________________________                                         Extruder Conditions                                                            Temperature Profile                                                                           Jacket         Barrel                                           Barrel #       Temp., °F.                                                                             Temp., °F.                                ______________________________________                                         1,             City Water, 65  74                                              2 & 3          Chiller, 40     63, 92                                          4,             Heater #1, 195 222                                              5 & 6          Heater #2, 195 212                                              7 & 8          Heater #3, 195 209                                              9 & 10,        Heater #4, 195 215°, 210                                 Powder Feed Rate                                                                              66 lb/hr                                                        Die Temp.      200-207° F.                                              Liquid Injection                                                                              29 gm/min of 20%                                                               conc-extract, front                                                            of barrel #3                                                    Gas Injection  2700 cc/min of                                                                 CO.sub.2 gas,                                                                  front of                                                                       barrel #6                                                       Gas Injection  220 PSIG                                                        Pressure                                                                       Screw Speed    100 RPM                                                         Screw Torque   70.8%                                                           Die Pressure   295 PSIG                                                        ______________________________________                                    

ROASTED AND GROUND LOOK-ALIKE

Extruder conditions were the same as for the freeze-dried look-alike, except for the gas to coffee ratio. In order to attain a slightly speckled, darker product, the gas rate was controlled to a very low flow rate (25 cc/m). This resulted in a much denser rope than the freeze dried, with far less porosity. It also caused the temperature in the latter extruder barrels to rise slightly (+10° F.). Moisture loss upon exiting the die was 0.5%. This is to be expected since the porosity is less and since there is much less CO₂ gas escaping which aids in moisture removal.

Due to the smaller size desired for the R&G look-alike, five passes were required through the Urschel grinder as shown below:

    ______________________________________                                         Pass      Roller Setting                                                                             Guard Clearance                                          ______________________________________                                         1st       2           3/16"                                                    2nd       1           3/16"                                                    3rd       0           3/16"                                                    4th       0           1/8"                                                     5th       0           minimum                                                  ______________________________________                                    

The product was sized in the 18" Sweco screener using -14/+20 US screens. Due to the lower porosity of the R&G sample, two passes through the Jeffrey fluid-bed after dryer were required to reduce the moisture to an acceptable level.

    ______________________________________                                         Jeffrey Fluid-bed Afterdryer Conditions                                        Condition      Freeze Dried                                                                               Roasted & Ground                                    ______________________________________                                         Drying Air Temp., °F.                                                                  190         190                                                 Drying Air Velocity,                                                                          55          55                                                  ft/min.                                                                        Feed Rate, lb/hr                                                                              60          60                                                  Residence Time,                                                                               135         135                                                 Drying, sec.                                                                   Cooling Air Temp., °F.                                                                 65          65                                                  Residence Time,                                                                               60          60                                                  Cooling, sec.                                                                  Moisture, In. % H.sub.2 O                                                                     6.16        6.50                                                Moisture, Out, % H.sub.2 O                                                                    4.01        5.58,                                                                          1st pass                                                                       5.05,                                                                          2nd pass                                            ______________________________________                                    

PRODUCT EVALUATION AND ANALYSIS Organoleptic and Visual

The finished products were tested to evaluate the effects of the various processing steps on flavor quality. They were described as being similar in character to the spray-dried powder which was used to produce them. The consensus of the panel was that the products met all expectation for flavor, quality and appearance.

    ______________________________________                                         Product Attributes                                                                        Density            Color                                                       g/cc      Moisture °L.                                       ______________________________________                                         Freeze Dried 0.21        4.01     28.0                                         Look-alike:                                                                    Roasted & Ground                                                                            0.41        5.05     18.0                                         Look-alike:                                                                    ______________________________________                                          NOTE: spray dried powder used in this example physicals are:                   Density: 0.25 g/cc                                                             Moisture: 2.75%                                                          

EXAMPLE II

A series of investigations were made using the Werner-Pfleiderer ZSK 57 mm twin-screw extruder using an 18-inch laminar die having a 0.005 (5 mils) die opening or a two-holed die. The configuration of the extruder is given in the following table which gives the temperature profile in each of the 10 sections of the extruder and the position of the coffee feed, gasification, water or extract addition and a general description of the product.

    __________________________________________________________________________                                             Coffee                                                                              Water Product                                                        Feed H.sub.2 O                                                                           Addition                                                                             Temp.                       Extruder Barrel Section Temperature °F.                                                                    Rate Content                                                                             Rate  at die                      Run                                                                               1  2 3  4   5  6   7   8  9  10 Lbs./hr.                                                                            %    lbs./hr. %                                                                           exit                        __________________________________________________________________________                                                        °F.                  (A)                                                                               *74                                                                               89                                                                               94**                                                                              208 198                                                                               214 212***                                                                             209                                                                               -- 207                                                                               138.1                                                                               2.5  3.31                                                                              2.39                                                                              200                         The following two runs were made using a die having two holes:                 (B)                                                                               *88                                                                               63                                                                               67**                                                                              221 215                                                                               219**                                                                              215 -- 213                                                                               215                                                                               59.4 3.37 4.1                                                                               6.9                                                                               205-210                     3/16                                         30% extract                       inch                                                                           holes                                                                          (C)            *66                                                                               68* 198***                                                                             200                                                                               207                                                                               207                                                                               84.9 4.5  3.57                                                                              4.2                                                                               210                         1/8                                                                            inch                                                                           holes                                                                          (D)                                                                               82*                                                                               43                                                                               57 229**                                                                              208                                                                               214 215 215                                                                               216                                                                               228                                                                               66   1.9  2.4                                                                               55 229                         (E)            68*                                                                               66  67**                                                                               199                                                                               203                                                                               206                                                                               85   4.7  3.6                                                                               4.2                                                                               210                                                      ***                                               __________________________________________________________________________                            CO.sub.2                                                                            Torque Product                                                   Screw                                                                              Die  Gas     Moisture                                                      Speed                                                                              Pressure                                                                            Addition                                                                               Content                                                    Run                                                                               RPM PSIG cc/min.                                                                             %  % H.sub.2 O                                     __________________________________________________________________________                (A)                                                                               97.5                                                                               214.5                                                                               1500 40.6                                                                              4.8  Run A                                                                          Gasified sheet not as elastic, but                                             could be drawn down at 30 ft/min.                                              Color was far lighter.                                The following two runs were made using a die having two                        holes:                                                                         (B)                                                                               105 155  1500 69 6.7  Run B                                                 3/16                     Long continuous strands of soluble                    inch                     coffee when granulated -8 +24                         holes                    U.S. mesh having a freeze-dried                                                appearance, density of 0.275 and                                               28 color.                                             (C)                                                                               61  245  small                                                                               69 2.3  Run C                                                 1/8         amount                                                                              44.7    Long continuous ropes of solid                                                 coffee                                                inch        of gas       were granulated to -10 +20 U.S.                                                mesh,                                                 holes                    having a roasted and ground appear-                                            ance, dark color and 0.5 g/cc                                                  density.                                              (D)                                                                               75  350  none 86 5.5  Run D                                                                          1% Ammonium bicarbonate uniformly                                              mixed with the spray-dried coffee                                              feed to the extruder. There was                                                recovered a long continuous strand                                             of                                                                             soluble coffee when granulated -8                                              +20                                                                            U.S. mesh, having a freeze-dried                                               appearance, density on 0.27 and 29                                             color.                                                (E)                                                                               61  236  2000 39  5.93                                                                               Run E                                                                          Soluble coffee powder is mixed with                                            5% colloidal roasted and ground                                                coffee to produce long continuous                                              strands of soluble coffee having a                                             freeze-dried appearance.                   __________________________________________________________________________      Remarks  location of:                                                          *Feed                                                                          **water addition                                                               ***water addition                                                              *Decomposition of Ammonium bacarbonate produced gas which was mixed into       the coffee melt in the extruder and produced an expanded coffee melt.    

EXAMPLE III

The addition of coffee oil or oil containing material has been found to have a significant benefit in terms of product dissolution rates. The following table shows the effect of coffee oil on product solubility. Process conditions, within Example II, were altered for these sets of runs to give products of similar densities, thereby removing the effect of density on dissolution rate. Coffee oil was added to the spray-dried coffee by spray plating the oil while mixing the powder in a ribbon blender. The coffee oil can also be added as an emulsion to the extruder (along with the feed water) or homogenized into the coffee extract prior to spray drying. Oil may be directly metered into the extruder if desired just prior to extrusion. The effect of oil on improved rate of solubility is obtained by whatever addition technique is employed. In these experiments, the Arabica powder was a 100% Columbian blend; the Robusta powder was 100% Ivory Coast; the Offshore powder was "Jatuica" from Brazil.

    ______________________________________                                         Freeze Dried Appearing Gasified Melt                                           Effect of Coffee                                                               Oil on Solubility       Comparable Densities                                   Coffee   Oil Level      Density  Solubility                                    Type     % Dry Weight   g/cc     secs                                          ______________________________________                                         Arabica  0.0            0.260    9.0                                           Arabica  0.4            0.280    7.4                                           Arabica  1.0            0.270    6.8                                           Robusta  0.0            0.240    11.8                                          Robusta  0.4            0.255    8.2                                           Robusta  1.0            0.270    6.5                                           Offshore 0.0            0.270    9.9                                           Offshore 0.4            0.290    7.5                                           Offshore 1.0            0.280    6.7                                           ______________________________________                                    

A similar effect on solubility is observed by adding colloidal coffee (very finely milled roasted and ground coffee) to the spray dried feedstock. It is believed that the oil in the colloidal coffee is the active agent in enhancing the solubility. The oil level of the colloid is about 10%; therefore a 2.5% colloid level introduces 0.25% oil; the 5% colloid level introduces 0.5% oil.

    ______________________________________                                         Effect of Colloidal Coffee on Freeze Dried                                     Appearing Gasified Melt Physical Properties                                               Colloid                                                             SD Coffee  Level       Density  Solubility                                     Type       %           g/cc     secs                                           ______________________________________                                         IMH        0.0         0.208    8.9                                            IMH        1.0         0.240    8.6                                            IMH        2.5         0.240    7.8                                            IMH        5.0         N/A      5.6                                            ______________________________________                                    

The implication of these findings is that the rate of solubility can be reduced independently of product density by the addition of coffee oil or other material which would form a discontinuous phase. It is believed the oil or colloidal coffee, coffee spent grounds or other cellulosic coffee material or other insoluble solids, form a discontinuous phase which speeds the rate of dissolution of the gasified melt.

Whatever the reason, while oil would be expected to make a dry solid less permeable to water and to slow down solubility the exact opposite appears to be occurring. While the exact mechanism is unknown, the effect of causing the freeze dried look alike to dissolve faster is significant since earlier products without oil led to slower dissolution and lack of consumer acceptance.

The rate of solubility was measured using the time it takes for the conductivity of 180° F. water to reach a level equivalent to 95% dissolution of the coffee solids.

EXAMPLE IV

The process for making the freeze dried look-alike product employs a twin screw extruder, wherein spray dried coffee (about 3-3.5% moisture) and water are combined and heated to form a coffee melt of about 6.5-7.5% moisture. Pressurized carbon dioxide at a controlled rate is injected and mixed into the melt, and the gasified melt is then extruded through a die (usually a circular strand or rope die). The hot gasified melt (about 195°-215° F.) expands as it exits the die, and is taken away on a knitted, wire mesh belt. The strands need to be cooled rapidly to solidify them and retain their porous structure without deformation or collapse. This is accomplished through the use of a liquid nitrogen spray to chill the product rapidly to the solidification temperature (about 100° F.), but is controlled so as not to sub-cool the product which would result in atmospheric moisture condensation on the surface of the extruded material.

After the liquid nitrogen spray, the strands enter a cool, dehumidified tempering zone, where they equilibrate thermally. Upon exit from this zone, the strands are broken into short fragments (1-3 inches long) and then granulated to give a chunky, freeze-dried appearing particle. The granules are sieved to the desired size fraction: oversized particles are re-ground and fines can be recycled to the extruder. The granulated material is dried to shelf-stable moisture (ca. 4-4.5% H₂ O) in a fluidized bed dryer, and then packaged.

Run A was prepared from a blend of four portions of Columbian spray-dried coffees; each portion having a specific coffee aroma added. The aromas included a thermally generated aroma, an evaporative aroma, a steam aroma and a coffee oil aroma. Each aroma was dried in soluble extract and the resulting powders blended and fed to the extruder where the blend was processed as set forth for Run A. A second sample was prepared from oil plated soluble Columbian spray-dried powder which was designated Run B.

    ______________________________________                                         EXTRUDER OPERATING SUMMARY                                                                        RUN A  RUN B                                                ______________________________________                                         Feed Rate (Kg/hr)    24.4     25.1                                             Water Rate (cc/min)  17.0     19.0                                             Screw Speed (rpm)    71.6     71.7                                             Torque (%)           79.9     78.0                                             Die Pressure (psig)  520      500                                              Product Temperature (°F.)                                                                    188      206                                              Gas Pressure (psig)  360      360                                              Gas Rate (SCCM)*     900      900                                              Mechanical Energy (KW hr/Kg)                                                                        --       0.162                                            Electrical Energy (KW hr/Kg)                                                                        --       0.964                                            Total Energy (KW hr/Kg)                                                                             --       1.126                                            ______________________________________                                          *Standard cc/min @1 atm., 70° F.                                  

    ______________________________________                                         ANALYTICAL SUMMARY                                                                               RUN A  RUN B                                                 ______________________________________                                         Final Product Color (°L.)                                                                   24.5     24.5                                              Final Product Density (g/cc)                                                                       0.186    0.210                                             Moisture:                                                                      Feed Powder (%)     3.90     3.89                                              Wet Extrudate (%)   6.10     7.10                                              Dried Extrudate (%) 4.81     4.25                                              after two passes                                                               through Jeffrey fluid                                                          bed drier                                                                      pH                  4.80     4.80                                              TA                  9.00     9.04                                              Hardness            0.22     0.23                                              Fines               0.69     0.15                                              Spoon Weight (gms)  0.85     0.84                                              Solubility (secs)   6.6      6.6                                               Size Distribution (% US Mesh)                                                   +8                 0.2      1.45                                              +12                 19.0     35.1                                              +16                 51.7     31.8                                              +20                 17.1     25.8                                              +40                 10.7     5.7                                               pan                 1.4      0.2                                               ______________________________________                                    

Run A was judged at parity (51/49 preference) against the leading brand of freeze-dried coffee and monadic taste scores of 76:70 were obtained for Run A against the leading freeze-dried coffee. FIG. 1 compares Run B (with oil) to a sample made without oil and to the leading brand of freeze-dried coffee. While the rate of dissolution was different and some consumers noticed such a difference, Run A and Run B were at parity overall and comparable to the leading freeze dried coffee. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of forming a gasified coffee glass having a freeze-dried or roasted and ground coffee appearance comprising:(a) forming a mixture of from 88% to 97% soluble, total coffee derived solids and 3% to 12% water; (b) adjusting the mixture temperature to 60° C. to 130° C. to form a melt; (c) mixing an amount of water insoluble edible oil into the mixture effective to lower the time of solubility of the final product to less than 8 seconds to dissolve 95% or more of the product; (d) injecting gas into the melt under pressure in a confined area to form a soft, homogeneous, gasified oil containing melt in a hot, confined state; (e) forcing the gasified, oil containing melt under pressure through an orifice to shape the gasified melt; (f) rapidly cooling the gasified shaped melt leaving the orifice to form a gasified homogenous coffee glass; and (g) recovering the homogeneous gasified glass at a stable moisture content below 6% as a final freeze-dried or roasted and ground coffee appearing product.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the mixture contains 91% to about 96% coffee solids and above 4% to 9% water in step (a) and from 0.4 to 1% coffee oil.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the mixture is heated to 70° C. to 110° C.
 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the gas is carbon dioxide, nitrogen, air or mixtures thereof.
 5. The method of claim 4 which further includes adding flavor and/or aroma to the melt prior to shaping the melt.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising stretching the gasified melt leaving the orifice while it is being rapidly cooled.
 7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the amount of gas injected into said melt is sufficient to give a product density of 0.18 to 0.30 g/cc.
 8. A method of forming a coffee glass having a freeze-dried or roasted and ground coffee appearance comprising:(a) forming a mixture of from 88% to 97% soluble, total coffee derived solids, 3% to 12% water, and up to 5% by weight, based on the weight of the coffee solids, of a food grade foaming agent; (b) adjusting the mixture temperature to 60° C. to 130° C. to form a melt; (c) mixing an amount of water insoluble edible oil into the mixture effective to lower the time of solubility of the final product to less than 8 seconds to dissolve 95% or more of the product; (d) effecting foaming of said foaming agent to gasify said melt in a confined area to form a soft, homogeneous, oil containing gasified melt in a hot, confined state; (e) forcing the gasified melt under pressure through an orifice to shape the gasified melt; (f) rapidly cooling the gasified melt leaving the orifice to form a gasified homogeneous coffee glass; and (g) recovering the gasified homogeneous gasified glass at a stable moisture content below 6% as a final freeze-dried or roasted and ground coffee appearing product.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the mixture contains 91% to about 96% coffee solids and about 4% to 9% water in step (a) and from 0.4 to 1% coffee oil.
 10. The method of claim 8 which further includes adding flavor and/or aroma prior to shaping the melt.
 11. The method of claim 8 wherein the melt leaving the orifice is stretched while it is being rapidly cooled.
 12. The method of claim 8 wherein the mixture is heated to 70° C. to 100° C.
 13. A product having a freeze-dried or roasted and ground coffee appearance produced by the process of claim
 1. 